Genius Loci, or...

What the focus groups suggested was that a sense of place was not located in the town's overt links to national events and people, nor with its civic past, but in its longer history, its physical appearance over time, its historic built environment, and particularly with the iconic...

Sheila Watson

Chapter 12: History Museums, Community Identities and a Sense of Place

Museum Revolutions: How museums change and are changed 

Threatened: Dome Theaters

Century 22 Theater, as part of the Century 21 through 23 complex.  Photo found at Silicon Valley Modern.

Demolition of Cinedome 70 in Riverdale, Utah.  Photo found at
The Standard Examiner.

Time is ticking between developer motivated tear downs and Mid-Century Modern supporters of San Jose's Century Dome Theaters.  Dome theaters as far east as Utah have already fallen to the wrecking ball.  Built in 1970, Riverdale's Cinedome 70 was in the way of a new car dealership. Supporters tried to save the theater but failed.

Several dome theaters in California have already met their demise, including Orange County's Century Cinedome Theaters, demolished in 2000, and Pleasant Hill's CineArts, demolished this year.  Ironically, their failures occurred in the wake of the City of Los Angeles protection of the Pacific Cinerama Dome Theater in Hollywood. Century 25, now known as the The Retro Dome, has recently closed its doors in Silicon Valley, citing an interest in finding a new location for its venue.  Is this the next dome to fall?

The challenge for any preservationist fighting to save contemporary places is to establish both historic significance and support for what the public might not yet appreciate. Professionals within the field will cite the National Parks Service 50 year rule, where "properties that have achieved significance within the past 50 years shall not be considered eligible for the National Register." Indeed, state offices of historic preservation, including California, adopted this guideline for their evaluations.  Yet even the National Parks Service recognized the significance of more recent post-war architecture that deserves evaluation.

Dome theaters, cinedomes, or cinerama domes are powerful icons representing the West Coast's modern aesthetic set apart from any other place in our nation.  The post-war rapid development of the west encouraged some architects and developers to find efficient and expedient ways to use building resources.  In this era, developer Joseph Eichler gained national attention, along with other visionary architects Richard Neutra and Charles & Ray Eames.  The theater's architect, Vincent G. Raney, should be recognized for his contributions to the arts and entertainment industries, even as many of his theaters are closing.

The simplicity of geodesic dome theaters spawned tremendous imagination, setting the stage for all IMAX wonders and L.A.'s Vortex Dome, to the humble igloo-shaped personal and mobile theaters.  Innovation is not limited to the new and shiny objects of today. Californians have a wonderful opportunity to bring creative minds together to not only petition to save dome theaters, but to consider adaptive reuses or new theater experiences within the context of a significantly historic place.  In this land of innovation, modern values, and serious technology talent, there should be viable response to the wrecking ball.

Lost: Bunker Hill Houses, Los Angeles, California

Bunker Hill Houses, Los Angeles, California.  Photo by unknown photographer, but found at NPS'
Heritage Documentation Programs Facebook page.

The Castle just prior to demolition.  Found at On Bunker Hill.

Listed as Gone but not forgotten on the National Parks Service's Heritage Documentation Program's Facebook page, these extraordinary homes fell from their foundations to make way for circa 1960s skyscrapers and parking lots.  The losses are stunning, including the Victorian mansion at left awaiting its doom.  Note the high rise representing downtown L.A.'s future. In an uncanny juxtaposition, the photo below depicts a house on the move in nearly the same location as the Victorian.  A few may have been relocated, but at the time of this posting, no information on their whereabouts has been found.

Perhaps one that was saved?  Found at the 1947 Project.

Writer Jeremy Rosenberg summarizes how the demolitions were in response to Housing Act of 1949.  Published by KCET, Rosenberg finds that "the Housing Act wound up contributing to the gutting of established residential neighborhoods located in urban centers throughout the United States."  This one law altered neighborhood and urban landscapes forever.  Say nothing of the displaced people that resided in this unique L.A. neighborhood.

Victorian mansion in the way of progress.  Find this and other dramatic
photos at KCET's Departures.

Threatened: Historic Wintersburg, Huntington Beach, California

Wintersburg Presbyterian Church, Huntington Beach, California.  Photo found at O.C. Roundup.

California's agrarian landscape is steeped in diverse community histories that tell of immigration, perseverance, and sacrifice.  Leaving one's homeland for a strange land has always been met with trepidation, but for those who survived, their stories are priceless. Historic Wintersburg has become an invaluable resource for telling the story of Japanese emigrants adjusting to a new land, yet its survival is threatened by rezoning and demolition. "It is the sole remaining Japanese-owned, pre Alien Land Law property," writes Mary Urashima of the Historic Wintursburg's Blogspot, "and one of the rare Japanese historic properties left in Orange County." 
Supporters of its preservation have started YouTube and Facebook pages for public awareness.  Even the City of Huntington Beach is encouraging its preservation.  Despite state and nationwide interest, Historic Wintersburg's fate is uncertain.
UPDATE: The Orange County Register recently announced that the owner of the property will not demolish the buildings, at least for now.  The property owner, Republic Services, is working with local preservationists to consider possible options.  The work begins, as reported by the Huntington Beach Independent.

Landscape: Felix Gillet Institute, North San Juan, CA.

Photo found at the Felix Gillet Institute.

This posting will introduce a new topic to Cal-Tales; historic landscapes throughout California.  We are fortunate to have several available resources that research California's landscapes, such as the California Garden & Landscape History Society (CGLHS) and the Northern California Chapter of the Historic American Landscapes Survey (HALSNCC).  Both routinely report on historic gardens and landscapes throughout our state.

For example, Marlea Graham, Editrix emerita for CGLHS, recently reported about a new nursery in the Sierra Foothills dedicated to the propagation of historic fruit trees.  Originally introduced by a Frenchmen, Felix Gillet, some of his trees from the mid-1800s can still be found in the area.  Now, the Felix Gillet Institute is striving to search out Gillet's trees to propagate and make them available to the public.  I encourage everyone to support their effort.

After attending the Historic Landscape Institute at Thomas Jefferson's Monticello, I am encouraged to see a similar preservation strategy occurring here on the Left Coast by Gillet followers.  The Thomas Jefferson Center for Historic Plants similarly seeks out and propagates plants brought to the United States by Jefferson himself.  Organizations like the Felix Gillet Institute, the Thomas Jefferson Center for Historic Plants, and Luther Burbank Home & Gardens provide invaluable resources for understanding our country's introduced plant species.